Beijing — China’s fossil-fuelled power generation fell 5.4% on the year in September as hydropower output surged, statistics bureau data showed on Monday.
Thermal power output, which is mostly from coal with a small amount from natural gas, was 517.5 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in September, National Bureau of Statistics figures showed.
That was also down from 627.4 billion kWh in August, when thermal output surged to the highest level in decades, boosted by record-breaking summer temperatures and lower hydropower output.
China’s thermal power output was down 1.2% over the first nine months.
Hydropower output in September rose 31.9% from the year-earlier level.
The data reflect output from industrial enterprises with revenue above 20 million yuan ($2.81 million).
China’s overall power generation in September was 826.2 billion kWh of power, up 1.5% compared with the same period of last year, the data showed.
The NBS figures, however, tend to understate total generation, particularly from solar because of the minimum revenue requirement.
Fuller data will be released later in the month by the National Energy Administration.
($1 = 7.1231 Chinese yuan renminbi)
Reporting by Colleen Howe; Editing by Christopher Cushing – Reuters
